The Nebraska football Spring Game has long been one heck of a recruiting tool for the Huskers, but it’s possible this weekend is going to be the biggest recruiting weekend the event has ever seen. It seems at the very least this will be the most star-studded. No, that doesn’t mean Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are in town (though they could be) these stars are of the variety assigned to prospects by recruiting services.
Another way this Spring Game weekend stands out is that it has more official visitors than usual. Generally, there are a ton of guys in Lincoln to see what the Nebraska football team has to offer them, but they’re here on unofficial visits. Tons of in-state prospects tend to make the trip for no other reason than for a free ticket to Memorial Stadium.
This time around there is a whopping seven top prospects that are coming into Lincoln on Friday for official visits. Of that group, the Huskers are hosting one 5-star target, 6 4-star prospects and one 3-star offensive lineman who will almost certainly get his consensus 4th star at some point this offseason.
Nebraska football has massive official visit weekend on tap for Spring Game
So who should Nebraska fans be on the look during the weekend? Who should they be anxiously scouting on social media for reactions to the day? We’ve got the breakdown here.
Michael Terry
The biggest name on the list for Nebraska football as far as stars go is Alamo Heights prospect Michael Terry. The 5-star 6-foot-3, 210 athlete is ranked as the top player at his position in the 2025 class by On3.
That site also has him ranked as the 24th best player in the class and the 7th best player in Texas. All of that might sound like he’s a shoo-in for the Longhorns, but the Cornhuskers are in the fight. On3 does have UT as the leader, but it’s by a very thin margin.
Dawson Merritt
Merritt is a 4-star outside linebacker that is making his second visit to see Nebraska football, and this weekend will be his first official trip to Lincoln. The trip was actually moved up a week and it’s possible the 3rd ranked player in the state of Kansas is about to wrap up his recruiting.
3 Schools remaining!
— David Merritt, Sr. (@DavidMerrittSr1) April 26, 2024
(Oklahoma, Alabama & Nebraska)
I feel in my spirit Dawson is getting close to a decision.
Lord, guide him 🙏🏾 🙌🏾
On that note, the player’s father, David, might have spilled the beans on the final three contenders. He took to social media on Friday night to say that there were “three schools remaining” in Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Alabama. He also said that he “felt in his spirit” that Dawson was close to a decision.
Cortez Mills
The Nebraska football team has always been a bit of a surprise contender for Cortez Mills, even if most recruiting experts think it will be very hard to pull him away from the Miami Hurricanes.
The 4-star prospect is the 12th best receiver in the 2025 class and On3 currently has the Huskers running third behind the Canes and Florida Gators. Still, Mills has made several visits to Lincoln including this official visit and the pomp and circumstance of the Spring Game could put a dent in those leads.
Alai Kalaniuvalu
Alai Kalaniuvalu is a bit of a surprise interior offensive line prospect simply because according to several recruiting experts, the Nebraska football team has a pretty good lead in the horserace for the 4-star Bishop Gorman product.
That’s especially noteworthy considering Power 4 schools like Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Auburn have all offered the 6-foot-3, 297 pound prospect. If there is a commit to come out of this group by the end of the weekend, it feels like Kalaniuvalu might be the one.
TJ Lateef
Lateef is the top quarterback target of the Nebraska football team in the 2025 class. The Cornhuskers have long been the front-runner here, but other schools are starting to make up some ground recently. A trip to Lincoln will hopefully stop that momentum.
At the moment, it feels like the Colorado Buffaloes are the top rival for Lateef’s services. That the Buffs don’t have a young quarterback ready to step in for Shedeur Sanders next year might be their ace card. The Huskers will hope an official visit to Lincoln is theirs.
Emmanuel Choice
Choice is the second wide receiver in the crew of seven official visitors coming to town this weekend. The Texas product is currently considered a lean to the Oklahoma Sooners, but the Nebraska football coaches have done a great job of making it a race.
The Huskers are the first of a bunch of official visits for Choice. He’s also slated to visit USC (May 31), Missouri (June 7), TCU (June 13) and Oklahoma (June 21). Expect an announcement not long after that final visit.
Antonio Branch
The only defensive back among the 4-star visitors, Branch is a 6-foot-2, 175 corner out of Booker T. Washington High in Miami who is perhaps has the second highest odds of committing to Nebraska football this weekend, if such a thing happens.
Like Mills, the Huskers and Hurricanes are seen as doing battle for Branch, but this time, the Cornhuskers are thought to have a very safe lead. On3 has them at a 56.9 percent chance of landing the defender, compared to Miami’s 33 percent chance.
John Mills
This interior offensive lineman is just a 3-star prospect but he’s a plenty big target, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 290 pounds. Mills, a St. Ignatius College Preparatory product out of San Francisco has long been thought of as a very hard lean to the Texas Longhorns.
Can the Nebraska football team worry down that lead a bit and jump into the race? It sure seems like this is the weekend to do it.